The Blue Canoe Brewery

Titusville, Pennsylvania is known for the discovery of petroleum in the 1850s, resulting in the birth of the modern oil industry. Tourists also flock there to ride the OC&T (Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad) to nearby Oil City, Pa.

Our visit to the Drake Well Museum to see the first-ever oil derrick happened on a Sunday in mid-May. Not yet scenic train season, Titusville was like any other small town on the slowest day of the week: dead.

We were hoping for some liquid refreshment and a light snack. Brian grabbed his Blackberry and Google-Mapped Titusville. He said, “Two blocks from here is a brewery.” I took in the downtown vibes as we passed—vacant lots, empty shops, a closed-on-Sundays realty with a tattered awning—and doubted his information. But there it was! The Blue Canoe Brewery & Restaurant. An oasis of promise.

The hummus plate was yummus!

A handful of what looked to be regulars chatted quietly in a Sunday mood. We sat at the bar and ordered the hummus plate and a couple of beers. I’m a light beer gal so I went for Flashlite Lager. SO light it was hard to believe just by looking that this was really beer. Closer in color to ginger ale than brewski but just what I longed for. The ideal afternoon toddy without needing a nap to recover.

Smooth in texture and made with the best German Pilsner malt. No corn or rice are used in making this lager. We use American Saaz hops and a Southern German yeast from Munich.

Being a dark brew kinda guy, Brian went for the Heavy Kevy Scotch Ale.

Made with only the best and most expensive Scottish pale malt. A nice blend of Belgian Biscuit and English roasted barley to add color and softness to a malty sweet nectar of brewing experience.

We were impressed with the tray of frost in which to keep our beers cold.

Hevy Kevy Scotch Ale and Flashlite Lager

We didn’t get to see the brewers in action, but part of the brewery was visible on the main floor near the front door. (The rest of the brewery is in the basement.)

Yeah, those frosted trays. I had not seen those before either. I wanted to research them but not sure what they’re called.

I didn’t find any wheat beers on the Blue Canoe web site but I did find this:

Big Sky Special

Made in honor of our friend Bill and his voyage through that Montana area. His time spent and his appreciation of good people, life, food, and of course Beer! This is a 350-year-old yeast from a monastery in Belgium, malt from France and Belgium with American hops. I call it an American Belgian-style Pale Ale. Soft coriander and citrus tang runs lightly over the tongue and a soft citrus aroma lifts from the malty background.

Thanks for visiting, Ronald. Wish we could share a brew with you when Ernie the banjo player and his guitarist friend are performing in what they affectionately call The Blue Canoe Folkgrass Band. Sounds like a bit o’ fun.